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I was so happy to be able to come back to the Islip Public Library for another pet portrait program on their awesome outdoor terrace. This was my second in person event back from the pandemic and we were lucky to get such a beautiful day for it.

We had many families come
to bring in their pets for a portrait. We had mostly dogs, but one family brought in their two hamsters, who were named Hamstie and Tim. This was my first time photographing hamsters and I was surprised at how well they did! I always love adding another animal to the list of those I’ve photographed!

Thank you to all the families that brought their pets to the program and to the library for having me back! Stay tuned for another pet portrait program I’ll be announcing soon!

Here are some of the photos we got that day!
photo of a brown dachshund puppy
photo of a group of four chihuahuas on a bench
photo of a senior Asian woman with a terrier dog on her lap
photo of a brown doodle puppy
photo of a hamster
photo of a hamster
photo of a golden retriever
photo of a beagle with three white children on a bench
photo of a retriever mix dog
photo of a pekingese dog
photo of a puggle dog wearing pink fairy wings
photo of a senior dachshund dog on a green bench
photo of an Asian woman with a Shiba Inu dog sitting on a green bench
photo of a mixed breed white and brown dog
photo of a boy with two husky mix dogs
photo of a mixed breed dog
photo of a dachshund puppy smelling flowers
photo of a terrier dog sitting on a blue chair
photo of a silver labrador dog looking up
photo of a chocolate labrador dog
photo of a white woman with a Pekingese dog on her lap
photo of two Alaskan Malamute dogs
photo of a mixed breed dog

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join my email list or follow along with me on Instagram!

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I was so happy to be back at the Middle Country Public Library in Centereach for another pet portrait program. This was my first pet event back after the pandemic made it impossible to gather safely for so long! We had 13 dogs come in to be photographed, along with one turtle and even one stuffed fox (a very low maintenance pet indeed!) Those last two didn't sign my model release forms, so unfortunately you'll just have to imagine those, but I assure you, they came out beautifully :D. It was so nice to be surrounded by pets again, even those of the stuffed variety.

To be safe, we held this program outdoors in the library's Nature Explorium, which is a really cute area at the library for kids that has all sorts of fun activities. It also provided some beautiful backdrops and really nice shade on a particularly hot May day. I can't wait to bring my nephew Seth there to play! Thank you to the library for having me for another awesome program, and thank you to everyone who brought their pets in for a photo!
​Here are some of my favorite shots of the day!

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My sister, brother in law and my nephew accompanied me on my shoot at Prosser Pines with our friend Lauren this year. When they were there they took a walk around the preserve and afterwards said "Ok, can we do our Christmas photos here too?" Of course! It's such a beautiful spot for it!

Lisa had the idea to use Seth's Little Tikes car in the photos and put some of my little tree props on it as if Seth had gone to the woods to chop down his own tree. The problem was that his car is green with yellow dinosaur scales! But that's where Aunt Laura's years of Photoshop practice came into play. It was more time-consuming than my normal edits but I was able to turn his car red to match her vision for the photos. We wrapped a string of fairy lights around it to complete the look and Seth was happy to pose in it, because he loves his dino car! He wouldn't wear the trapper hat we brought for him, but that's ok because they still came out super cute. 

We also took some sweet family shots of the three of them, but most of the photos were about Seth, because he's obviously the star!

​Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!

Happy Holidays!

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You might remember Dominic's adorable session at the Stony Brook duck pond recently for his second birthday. I was so happy to get this little guy in front of my camera again for a Christmas and family session at Prosser Pines in Middle Island! His mom brought a super cute mailbox and a letter so Dominic could send out his wishlist to Santa. I hope he gets everything he wants!

We did some individual photos of the handsome boy and a lot of family shots too. The light was so beautiful that day in Prosser Pines and we had a lot of fun exploring the trails, despite one alarming incident where Dominic dropped his Larabar snack on the forest floor and was NOT PLEASED when it got taken away from him! I feel you, buddy. 

There are these cool tree structures in the Pines that Dominic loved to dart in and out of. I'm not really sure what the story is behind those or who made them, but they look pretty cool. If anyone has any insight into how those came about, comment below because I'd love to know. Google has failed me and I'm curious!

​Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!

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This was such a sweet and exciting session to photograph! Jackie and Caroline are friends of mine. My sister Lisa met Jackie years ago at the office they worked at and they've stayed super close even though they don't work together anymore. Caroline proposed to Jackie this year on her birthday and we were so happy for them! Jackie decided to book an engagement session with me for her, Caroline and their adorable pup Charli, and Jackie had a surprise up her sleeve....

She told me she wanted to surprise Caroline at the session with a ring of her own! We discussed beforehand what our code would be for when she decided to get down on one knee, so that I would be ready and waiting to capture the moment! We got some great shots of the surprise and tons of other beautiful portraits set against a gorgeous sunset at the beach. Thanks to my sister Lisa for tagging along to hold the prop bag and to keep a hand on Charli in between her close ups!

​Congratulations Jackie and Caroline!! 

Here are some of my favorite shots from their romantic session!
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Little Stella is so smiley because this year is her First Christmas! Actually, she's just always smiley because she's a super happy baby. But she was really happy to go with her big sister Addison and her mom Lauren (one of my besties) and dad Mike to Prosser Pines this year for family photos!

Every year there seems to be one spot that get super popular with my clients. One year it was Blydenburgh Park, another year it was Islip Grange. This year it was definitely Prosser Pines in Middle Island. I always give clients a few suggestions based on the kind of backdrop they want, and this spot was the big hit this year. I think maybe because it's in the woods where we can spread out and there aren't a lot of people there, so it turns out to be a good venue for photography in the age of COVID-19. 

When we met for this session, the leaves were at their most beautiful I think. The color of the fall foliage was so gorgeous, and the girls did such a good job! 
Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!

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I've been following Brody on Instagram for a long time. Not only is he super cute but he and his mom Debbie are out there doing a lot of good. Brody is a registered therapy dog. He regularly visits the Stony Brook University Hospital to cheer up the patients there. The kids there especially get a lot of comfort from Brody.

Right now because of the pandemic, Brody and Debbie aren't able to visit the hospital to do their important work and I know that they're definitely missed by all their friends there. They can’t wait to be able to get back into the hospital and bring comfort to people who desperately need it. I really admire what they do and I hope they can get back to their very inspiring work soon!

We met at the Stony Brook duck pond to do these photos. The light was beautiful and my subjects were so sweet. We did some family photos, then some super cute shots of daughter Lauren and her boyfriend and their dog Augustus, all in adorable matching outfits! Then Brody joined in for some solo shots, some portraits with Mom and then a few photos with his dog nephew Auggie!

It was so nice get to know this family and their sweet pups. Check them out on Instagram: @adailydoseofbrody and @augustus_frenchieboy to follow along with these adorable boys!

Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!
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I've had so many memorable shoots with this family since I first met them at one of my pet portrait library programs! I always have so much fun with them! Last year's newborn session for Evelyn was a Fall lover's dream. We used pumpkins and hay bales and sunflowers, so this time we kept the theme going by visiting the sunflower field and pumpkin patch at one of my favorite Long Island spots, Waterdrinker Family Farm in Manorville. 

We started out doing some family photos in the sunflower field. Then the rest of the family took a break to enjoy some of the fun stuff the farm has to offer, while mom Nina and Evelyn and I stayed in the field to take some individual first birthday shots of Evelyn. She's such a smiley baby! Sometimes it's a struggle getting kids to smile when I have my mask on to shoot sessions, but with Evelyn it was a breeze. She's just a naturally happy baby, so there was no problem getting her to have fun for our photos. Nina brought lots of stuff we had used at her newborn session to the first birthday session. I love when clients do that, it's always so sweet and sentimental. 

After we were done with Evelyn's close up, we met back up with her dad and brother Owen and sister Juliette and we took a few more family photos in the pumpkin patch. Evelyn was very happy to stand up holding onto the big pumpkins and to spend some time sitting in the pumpkin carts! After we finished up, Owen and Jules were rewarded for their good job modeling by going back to play more on the farm! 

Here are some of my favorite photos from this very fun session! 
one year old baby girl sitting in a sunflower field on long island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
Family of 5 posing in a sunflower field on long island. Photo by Laura Pea Photography
one year old baby girl sitting in a sunflower field on long island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
3 siblings posing in a sunflower field on long island. Photo by Laura Pea Photography
one year old baby girl sitting in a sunflower field on long island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
one year old baby girl sitting in a sunflower field on long island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
one year old baby girl sitting in a sunflower field on long island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
one year old baby girl sitting in a sunflower field on long island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
Family of 5 posing in a sunflower field on long island. Photo by Laura Pea Photography
one year old baby girl sitting in a sunflower field on long island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
one year old baby girl looking at a sunflower on long island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
one year old baby girl sitting in a sunflower field on long island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
Family of 5 posing in a sunflower field on long island. Photo by Laura Pea Photography
one year old baby girl smiling next to a sunflower on long island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
one year old baby girl sitting in a sunflower field on long island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
photo of a one year old baby girl sitting in a pumpkin patch on Long Island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
photo of a one year old baby girl sitting in a pumpkin patch on Long Island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
photo of three siblings sitting in a pumpkin patch on Long Island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
photo of a one year old baby girl sitting in a pumpkin patch on Long Island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
photo of a one year old baby girl sitting in a pumpkin patch on Long Island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography
photo of a one year old baby girl sitting in a pumpkin patch on Long Island. Photo taken by Laura Pea Photography

Schedule a session with me by emailing me at laurapeaphotography@gmail.com or calling (631)256-7476!

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One of my favorite things about photographing babies is seeing them come back every year and watching them grow like weeds. I photographed Nathaniel and Caroline for the first time when they were teeny tiny week old newborns, then again for their 1st birthdays! Now they're 2 years old, running around with their big brother Benjamin Franklin the Airedale Terrier, who has been there every step of the way!

​This time their parents joined in on the fun too and we got some super adorable family shots. Even though this year was a little different because we had to keep our distance, it was still so much fun for me to hang out with this awesome family! We decided to do the session in their backyard this year so we could all spread out and the twins and Benjamin could run around to their hearts' content! We started out doing some family photos, then the twins posed on their very cute little lounge set and in front of their playhouse. They also enjoyed some time on their tire swing pushing each other and giggling. 

Near the end of the session, mom Sarah asked each of the twins to give Benjamin Franklin a kiss and of course they obliged. It reminded me of the sweet moment when they were tiny newborns and we were contemplating putting peanut butter on Nathaniel's head to get Benjamin to kiss him, but then he went ahead and did it all on his own. He has been the best dog brother right from the beginning!
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Here are some more of my favorite photos from Caroline & Nathaniel's 2nd birthday session! 

Want to book a socially distanced session with me? Email me at laurapeaphotography@gmail.com or call (631)256-7476

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When Tucker's mom Caitlin emailed me a few days after the new year, I was instantly sad to read what she had to say. She was getting in touch to get photos taken of her, her husband Joe and her dogs, which normally makes me very happy, but the reason she wanted photos was because their biggest pup, Tucker James was sick. I get these kinds of sessions a few times a year, and they're always very bittersweet. I'm so happy that the family is going to get great photos of their beloved pet, but it's also very difficult to know that our session will likely be the first and last time I meet a very special animal.

It was so great to meet Tucker and his family. He's a big beautiful dark shepherd. He has two smaller dog brothers. Keegan is a black and white terrier mix, and Tucker is a Maltipoo. Yes, you heard that right. Tucker has a brother named Tucker. I waited about 15 minutes into our session, when I finally said "Ok, so what's the deal with you guys having two dogs named Tucker?". Caitlin and Joe both laughed and told me how they both used to live down in North Carolina where they were neighbors. The two neighbors met one day and got to talking and they found out they both had a dog named Tucker. From there, they fell in love, got married, moved to Long Island, and voila...two Tuckers. That's why they distinguish them as Tucker James and little Tucker.

All three pups were incredibly sweet and photogenic, as were their parents! They braved a super icy cold day to meet for our session at Blydenburgh County Park and they did such a great job looking at the camera for me. It also helped that we had some well-timed passersby to walk right past me to get all three of them staring in the same direction without me having to make my incredibly stupid noises for their attention!

I'm sad to say that Tucker is no longer with us, but I'm so glad that I got to meet such a sweet and wonderful boy, and I hope these photos make his family smile whenever they miss him. I know how devastating it can be to lose a pet. The whole reason I began doing pet photography was because I lost my cat Duchess and my dog Basil within a few months of one another. I'm glad that I can provide at least some small comfort to my clients when they go through a loss like this. Hug your pets close!


Here are some of my favorite photos from our very special session.
Like I mentioned in my last blog post, I'm not taking sessions at the moment. Due to the pandemic, I'm not allowed to shoot sessions for clients right now. I miss my clients and their babies and furbabies so much! I have no idea when I'll be able to get back to shooting sessions, but I will update you here the minute I'm able to take clients again! That being said, I do have gift cards available. If you want to pay ahead of time for a session with me, feel free to purchase a gift card! You can purchase in any amount starting at $15. 

I also want to give a shoutout to Tucker's mom Caitlin who is a nurse. Thank you to her and all our healthcare workers who are on the front lines of this pandemic, saving lives and risking their safety to do so. We appreciate what you do so much! 

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

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Laura Paesano
Long Island, NY

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